The present invention relates generally to the field of golf tees, and more specifically, to the field of hollow, angled golf tees.
Golf tees have been around for generations providing golfers controlled surfaces for hitting golf balls. While the most common type of golf tee is a small, solid piece of wood or plastic designed to be inserted perpendicularly into the ground, another type of golf tee is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,289 (the '289 patent) which is hollow and designed to be inserted into the ground at an angle. In addition, at least one variation of the angled golf tee disclosed in that patent has been on sale for a number of years and is characterized by being shorter (3 inches long) and having a ball receipt surface which is both recessed and more perpendicular (60.degree. relative to the longitudinal axis of the golf tee).
While the previous angled golf tees (the golf tee disclosed in the '289 patent and the shorter, more perpendicular golf tee variation) have experienced relative degrees of success, golfers have complained of the tendency of those tees to take flight with the golf balls, resulting in a large loss of golf tees. While the loss of an inexpensive solid golf tee is often lightly regarded, the loss of a more expensive angled golf tee is more serious. In addition, it is thought that use of a prior angled golf tee has an adverse effect on the flight characteristics of a golf ball. Furthermore, without explicit instruction, the proper placement and orientation of the prior golf tees is not very intuitive (e.g., the prior angled golf tee may appear to some to work just as well in an orientation reversed, or otherwise different, from that shown in the '289 patent).
There is, therefore, a need in the industry for an apparatus which addresses these and other related, and unrelated, problems.